Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We love you guys!

Pumpkins 2008 !

We're a couple of days early, but schedules dictated that Tuesday was pumpkin carving night! Thought we'd share this year's nominations for "Pumpkin Carving of 2008". Hope you enjoy!

Guess which pumpkin belongs to whom - have fun !

Happy Halloween !

Florida wildlife!

Seth and I were driving around Saturday and we past this natural reserve park that had this huge tree sitting in the middle of this large pond. What drew us to this tree were the hundreds of white birds that were nesting in this tree. It was absolutely beautiful. This green tree was white with birds. We got out to take a picture and noticed two enormous, orange iguanas sitting with the birds in the tree. If you look at the 1st two pictures you can see the iguanas. We've heard that these birds (they look like cranes) are the last birds to fly away when a hurricane is coming. So when you see these birds flying off in large groups, get ready! Then, I noticed this HUGE frog in our backyard. When it rains we get a lot of frogs. This one was trying to make a get away but got stuck while trying. Thought you might get a kick out of this. He's kind of ugly. I have been told that these frogs are poisonous. We don't go near them.
**If you click on the pictures it will enlarge them for you.

From Savea...

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for my new awesome clothes. Thank you for my new toys. I love them! Shell, Blake, Morgan and Clayton-Thank you for my new books and Calendar. I love them too! Can't wait to see you soon. I love you! -Savea

Jane sent me this "gotta play for Halloween" game - does this remind you of someone near and dear? Click on the link; use your space bar to bowl - good luck - have a goulish time bowling!

http://www.itsga.com/fun/cat_new.swf

Happy Birthday Savea !!!

Savea! Happy 5th Birthday! We hope you have the best birthday. We also wanted you to know our FIVE FAVORITE things about you!! (there's a lot more that we'll tell you about when you turn 28!)

1. We love your feet! They are the cutest boy feet we've ever seen. They've always been cute and when you were a little baby, Auntie Michelle used to kiss and play with them all the time!

2. We love how you laugh!!! You have the most contagious laugh, the one where you start laughing from your belly and you can't stop. It makes us laugh too!

3. We love how you call us "stinky-pots!"

4. We love how you have always gone to sleep with a toy car in your hand! Do you still do that? We hope so!! =)

5. We love to be with you! We like coming out and visiting you in Florida, watching Lighting McQueen together, and eating chicken nuggets and french fries! You're so much fun to be with!

We can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Happy Birthday!

love-Blake, Michelle, Morgan, and Clayton

We got in our birthday suits to wish you a happy birthday!

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup!!!

I know that nearly every state except for Florida is now entering soup season. Cooler weather = yummy soups. Despite that we are still enjoying warm weather, we tried this minestrone soup recipe that I found online. It's suppose to be Olive Gardens Minestrone soup. I have to say... it is pretty close. This is very healthy and even though it has a lot of ingredients, it's pretty easy to make. If you are in the mood for a really yummy and comforting soup, you should try this one. We really enjoyed it. Love you guys!!!

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
(Copycat)

3 Tlb Olive Oil
1 C. minced white onion
½ C. chopped zucchini
½ C. frozen cut Italian green beans
¼ C. minced celery
4 tsp minced garlic
4 C. vegetable broth (Do note use chicken broth!)
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained*
2 (15 oz) cans white beans or great northern beans, drained*
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
½ C. carrots, julienned or shredded
2 Tlb minced fresh parsley
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp dried thyme
3 C. hot water
4 C. fresh baby spinach
1 C. small shell pasta

1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
6. Makes about eight 1½ cup servings.

*I only used one can of each bean and, for us, it was plenty.

Primary Program

Morgan participated in our ward's primary program on Sunday! This was the first year she has done this. It was so fun to see her up on the stand. She waved at us throughout the whole program and even gave us double "I love you signs" in sign language! Her little part was, "I felt in my heart that President Hinckley had died and I was sad." Sunbeams are the greatest! =)

Celebrities!!

Just want to make you aware of the celebrities in our family. This was published in the East Valley Tribune. So, what is it like to be famous?

COMFORTABLE CLOTHES: Gilbert residents Michelle Bentley, left, and her mother, Shanna Morgan, shop Friday at Shade Clothing at Chandler Fashion Center. Chelsea Rippy, store founder and clothing designer, says of the store's

Home!!

So, you've been asking to see what our place looks like. I finally took some pictures. Keep in mind that we still need to put pictures on some of the walls. Love you guys.

Stairs. This view is also from the front door.

Kitchen

When you walk through our front door, this is what you see.



Vea's room

These are pictures of our family room.

Cars!!

Vea did a funny this morning. It was shower time and vea decided he wanted to take a few cars into the shower with him. Seth told him he could bring two cars with him into the shower. So here comes Vea with his cars. He dumps six cars into the tub. Seth said, "Vea, you have six cars. I said you could bring in two cars." Vea's reply, "Papa, there are two cars. See, one, two...one, two...one, two."

We cracked up. I love how these kids try to out smart a situation.

Making Pumpkin Pancakes...with Jack Johnson

We ate these for breakfast this morning...they are good. The kids really liked them. I think Lara started a pumpkin cooking trend. Dad...I know this is uncharted waters for you, add a little syrup and you'll be fine!!=)


LIGHT PUMPKIN PANCAKES

In large bowl mix:
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon

In small bowl, mix:
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1 1/2 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Add small bowl mixture to large bowl. Stir just until moistened. Heat griddle, brush lightly with oil. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cup onto hot griddle. Makes 16 pancakes.

p.s. Andrea - I had a dream about you last night that you won $123,000 !! Then I asked you to buy me a boat!! hahah

Mission Accomplished...

I finally did it! I broke my cookie curse!! I wanted to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies so I attempted with low expectations :) And what do you know, they turned out! They look better in really life than in the picture :) Here is the recipe if you are interested:


INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Miss you guys like crazy! Thanksgiving is almost here, I'm counting down the days! Love ya!

Pumpkin Patch

What fun we had at the Pumpkin Patch. Morgan and Clayton were able to pick out their pumpkins and decorate them. We actually had to wear a jackets that night....I'm loving the cooler weather.

Sad Day

BYU lost 32 to 7... We're pretty bummed right now :( Goodbye BCS Bowl Game. Other than that we're doing great! Hope you all are doing well. LOVE the new blog Rudy, great job! Love you all!

It's Hammer Time!!...Can't touch this!!

Hi Family!



I'm so excited about the new look of the blog! Way to go Rudy...it looks awesome, and I love the title! Thanks for taking all that time to figure that out for us. We don't have a lot to post today, it's been a pretty regular week, but I want to share a silly thing Clayton did this morning!



We've been working with him to learn how to get dressed by himself. He's really great at saying, "no no no! by-self." So I got his clothes out for the day and let him at it. I knew the shorts would be tricky, but every time I tried to help, I got the same reply. So I asked him what he was going to do. He ran over to his toy box (with his shorts down around his ankles) and found his toy hammer! He came back and started hammering his shorts and saying "mom, I do it!" Morgan and I just started laughing and then he looked at us and with a serious look on his face asked, "funny?" It was funny...how grateful I am for these silly moments that provide humor and delight in my day!

I hope each of you have a silly and delightful moment today...if not, go find a hammer and enjoy the smiles!

love you all!

What's up?

Hey family! I miss hearing from you. What is everyone up to?

Pico De Gallo Chicken

We must all be in the mood for good recipes. Here is another favorite of ours. This is one of the best Pico de Gallo recipes I've found. Very healthy and delicious!!! Pretty easy to make. Hope you like it.



Pico De Gallo Chicken with Black Beans & Rice

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Marinade:
½ C. teriyaki sauce
2 tsp lime juice
½ tsp grated lime peel
1 garlic clove, minced

Pico de Gallo:
5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 avocado, diced
½ red onion
1 Tlb teriyaki sauce
2 tsp lime juice
3-6 Tlb chopped cilantro

Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken for 2 hours. Grill or broil 4-5” away from heat for about 7 minutes (I boil my chicken first). Combine Pico de Gallo ingredients. Serve on top of chicken and/or with tortilla chips. **Jalapenos can be mild if you remove the seeds and membrane, so you can adjust the hotness.

Serve with black beans and rice.

Black beans and rice:

1 can black beans rice
2-3 garlic cloves water
1 onion, chopped 1-2 chicken bullion cubes
cilantro lime juice (amount depending on your taste, probably 2-4 Tlbs)

Sauté onion and garlic then add black beans and heat through. For the rice, add chicken bullion cubes to the water and cook according to package directions. When rice is done, add to black bean mixture. Stir well. Add desired amount of cilantro and lime juice. Stir together. Serve with chicken and Pico de Gallo.

Meesa Johnson

syke!!!

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Mom asked me to post this - hope it warms your wintery evenings. It can be done in a crock pot (all all ingredients except noodles and cook for at least 4 hours) or in a stock pot on the stove.

Heary Chicken Noodle Soup

4 chicken breasts
1 stick of butter (never use margarine)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 onions, chopped finely
4 celery ribs, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp of dried parsley
2 Tbsp of chicken soup base
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
3-5 dried porcini or shitaki mushrooms, soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes
1 12 oz. pkg of extra wide noodles

Melt butter in stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until onions are clear, about 4 minutes. Add celery, pepper, carrot and saute for another 4-5 minutes. Add chicken breasts, cans of soup, chicken soup base, parsle, bay leaves, wine, and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add whole mushrooms (they may be removed before serving). Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Remove chicken breasts pull apart into small, shredded pieces (careful, the chicken will be hot). Return to the soup. About 10 minutes before soup is done, bring 4 qts. of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles to al dente. Drain noodles and add to soup. Simmer for 3-5 minutes more. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty French bread or Italian Ciabatta bread.

Mom loves to serve this with a vegetable relish plate or tossed green salad. Enjoy!

Blake, Michelle, and Officer Dixon

So I have a funny story! Last night was our date night and ever since we bought our truck we've had the idea to grab dinner, the laptop, some blankets and go watch a movie out in the dessert in the bed of the truck. So we had our Rubios and "chick flick" in hand (Made of Honor - it was either that or Ironman, and Blake was kind to let me choose) and we were off. We drove out past Queen Creek and found a dirt road that actually had speed limit signs on it, so we thought we were okay, it looked like quad riding trails. We finally found a great spot, view of the city, got our blankets all laid out, the dinner out, and up drives a police SUV! Out steps Officer Dixon.."can I have your license and registration please...you are on the reservation!" After he went back to his car, Blake and I started laughing! Can you imagine what that police officer must have thought!! =) Luckily, after he admitted to us that their signs posting the area are small and hard to see due to low budgets, he let us off with a warning. He did however give us a 10 minute crash course of the Gila River Reservation boundary lines. So the other funny part, is Officer Dixon told us about a park in the San Tan Mountains where we could go, it wasn't far so we headed out there. The park was open, but the toll booth was closed so we filled out the packet and inserted our $6. As we pulled through, we stayed on the only road and it looped us right back around to the toll booth! At this point we were laughing so hard! It is a hiking only park, so no vehicles allowed on the trails! Since we already paid our $6, we pulled into the parking lot, ate dinner, watched the movie, and rushed back to pick the kids up on time. It was a great night!! =)

Yummy Recipes!

In my search for new and easy recipes, I stumbled across a link on Katie's blog. This blog has so many fun recipes and they look super easy to make. I thought I would share with you all. Hopefully the link works :) Let me know if it doesn't!

http://favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Good Luck and Enjoy!

The Chicken Soup Dialogues

I hope everyone had a great General Conference weekend! We sure thought a lot about all of you as we watched the sessions. I hope my sisters were scouting out great hairstyles from the choir for our later years! ;) Here are a few pics from the kids. We survived the media fast and enjoyed every session.

So Sunday night Dad asked everyone at dinner what their favorite general conference talks and messages were. I want to open that up to comments...since we all weren't able to share while enjoying mom and dad's homemade chicken noodle soup with caviar (not really, but dad made a yummy olive dip that looked identical).

I'll start...I loved Elder Perry's talk on simplifying and here is one of my favorite quotes, quoted by Sister Dalton:

"I can do hard things...in the strength of the Lord, I can do all things."

Weekend Update

Here are a few pictures of Francine's surprise 50th birthday party, a visit to Mom's and dinner with the missionaries. Hope you enjoy! It was a real treat to see Seth this weekend - too bad he couldn't have smuggled Andrea and Savea in his luggage! Conference was a treat - hope all enjoyed as much as we did! Have a great week - love you all.

Official blog name

Well-it looks to be pretty unanimous. Does everyone want to change the name of our blog site to "The Double-Crotched Chronicles"? If you haven't voted now is the time to do so. If anyone opposes, speak up or forever hold your peace :) Love you guys!!

Happily Ever After...

So when we moved into the ward, we met Mark and Debra and became instant friends. Debra and I have so much in common it's almost scary! We even get to be visiting teaching companions.

Debra is into Musical Theatre and was a part of Young Ambassadors at BYU. She is in the play "Into the Woods" at Hale Center Theatre in Salt Lake and last night we had the opportunity to go see her. She is amazing!! She played Cinderella and looked like Giselle from Enchanted when she she wore her ball gown. I thought of Morgan :)

It's so good to have great friends in the ward when you are away from family! It fills the void just a little :) We miss you guys terribly and can't wait to see you! Love ya!

What would you do if you had 8 hours in New York City?

Blake was able to spend half a day in New York City yesterday! We had a great time talking on the phone all afternoon as he visited these fun places. He braved the crazy new york drivers and made it home safe and sound. After a slice (or two) of new york pizza, walking at least a few miles, and was kissed by a random Argentine woman who no speaky-english, he rated the day a 10!